Multilevel building structure with plural suspended revolving compartment units and method of making same



L. L. ARNOLD Jan. 24, 1967 MULTILEVEL BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH PLURALSUSPENDED REVOLVING COMPARTMENT UNITS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME- 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 10 1963 .bLow 1/. ARA/0w,

Jan. 24, 1967 .1 ARNOLD 3,299,538

MULTILEVEL BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH PLURAL SUSPENDED REVOLVING ICOMPARTMENT UNITS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME L. L. ARNOLD Jan. 24, 19673,299,588 SUSPENDED REVOLVING COMPARTMENT UNITS AND METHOD OF MAKINGSAME MULTILEVEL BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH PLURAL Shet L5 5 Sheets- FiledJuly 10 1965 w m A L w w L Jan. 24, 1967 NOLD 3,299,588

MULTILEVEL BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH PLURAL SUSPENDED REVOLVINGCOMPARTMENT UNITS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FiledJulylO 1963 .llLow L. ARNOLD,

Eva/me 5% ygw Jan. 24, 1967 L. ARNOLD 3,299,538

MULTILEVEL BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH PLURAL SUSPENDED REVOLVINGCOMPARTMENT UNITS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed July 10, 1963 5Sheets-Sheet 5 j L QM M WK Ar M 4 a L r h f; 4 fi 9 4 Q\ 0.ECLMVKIEEEEEEE :.a. (O1 r w m. w i m Z W W W, M) M 3B? 2 I g w w HUnited States Patent 3,299,588 MULTILEVEL BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH PLU-RAL SUSPENDED REVOLVING COMPARTMENT UNITS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAMELloyd L. Arnold, 1540 Simms St., Lakewood, Colo. 80215 Filed July 10,1963, Ser. No. 293,967 18 Claims. (CI. 52-65) The present inventionrelates to building constructions. More particularly, the presentinvention relates to economically advantageous building constructionswherein individual units of the structures have movement relative to theremainder of the structure, and to methods and techniques for theconstruction thereof.

Prior to the present invention efforts have been made to providebuildings having structural portions which rotate relative to otherportions thereof. Such constructions, however, have not been capable ofproviding features of economy and, particularly, in any such degree asto come into popular usage. The present invention provides structuresand methods of assembly which make possible the economical utilizationof space, materials, and labor in the provision of building structureswherein a large plurality of units may be independently mounted on astationary supporting structure for individual controlled rotationrelative to one another and relative to the supporting structure.

This is accomplished, in the present invention, by providing a strongcentral core portion, mounting superstructure over the central coreportion; and suspending a plurality of angularly spaced stacks ofrotatable units from the superstructure in such a manner that the unitsare rotatable relative to each other. Such a construction has manyadvantages which will be fully set forth hereinafter. Some of theseadvantages are that constructions under the present invention, as thusfar described, provide sheltered parking and recreational areas beneaththe lowest level of each stack of rotatable units, improved privacy asbetween units, since no unit has any wall common with any' other unit,and the unit cost of construction is less than for conventionalconstructions. Buildings according to the present invention may be madeof any materials which are suitable, and by any practical constructionmethods, although the specific exemplary showing herein is of apreferred concrete construction and adapts itself to the employment ofnovel concrete forming techniques as will be fully described herein.

It should be evident that buildings according to the present inventionmay be used for storage, ofiices, apartments, and for many otherpurposes, although the illustrated example is of an apartment dwellingconstruction.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improved buildingconstructions wherein individual compartments thereof are rotatablerelative to one another.

Another object of the present invention is to provide improved buildingconstructions, and methods for the erection thereof.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide buildingconstructions wherein pluralities of apartment or compartment units arearranged in stacks, one above the other, and in which each suchapartment or compartment unit is rotatable or oscillatable relative toeach of the others.

A further object of the present invention is to provide improvedbuilding constructions wherein a plurality of apartment or compartmentunits are mounted in spaced radial relationship about a central corelanding, each being mounted for rotation about its own axis for motionrelative to the landing and to the other units.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide animproved method for the construction of con- 3,299,588 Patented Jan. 24,1967 crete building structures whereby concrete forms are shifteddownwardly from the top of the construction to form the various floorlevels from the topmost down.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of improvedapartment building constructions wherein individual apartment units maybe pre-formed apart from the basic building and lifted into finalassembled position, as by crane means.

These and other objects and the advantages attendant thereto will becomereadily apparent from the following detailed description, taken inconjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like reference numeralshave been applied to like parts throughout, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a building structure accordingto the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial sectional view of the structure of FIGURE 1, takenalong the line 2-2 thereof;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the structure ofFIGURES 1 and 2, taken along the line' 3--3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 3a is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view of a transitionplate element;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a detail of the construction,i.e. the means for supporting individual units in the stacks of units;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the building construction of FIGURES 1to 4, taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 1;

' FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view, taken along the line 66 ofFIGURE 3 and illustrating the details of the stack core structures.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the facing detailof the structure of FIGURES 1 to 6;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a typical rollerbearing and support forming a detail of the invention and is taken alongthe line 8-8 of FIG- URE 5;

FIGURE 9 is a section taken along the line 9-9 of FIGURE 8, showingadjustment details of the bearing of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a schematic showing of exemplary means for effectingrotation of individual structural compartments.

FIGURES 11, 12, and 13 are schematic showings of a method of assemblywhich is made possible by the present invention, FIGURE 11 showing thecentral core element; FIGURE 12 showing the mode of supporting palletsfor forming horizontal members; and FIGURE 13 being an enlargedfragmentary view taken of a portion of FIGURE 12 to better illustratethe details thereof.

The improved building structure of the present invention may obviouslybe constructed in .a variety of methods according to known techniques.However, one of the advantages of structures according to the presentinvention is that they make it possible to utilize novel constructionmethods which are extremely advantageous from the point of view ofeconomy and simplicity. Hence, while the building construction may bemade by other methods, it is considered that the concrete pouringtechnique hereinafter termed the drop-form method, forms .a part of thepresent invention.

Building structures according to the present invention are shown on thedrawings in a single example which is obviously merely typical ofstructures within the scope of the invention since the height, thenumber of stacks of units, and many of the minor structural detailscould obviously be varied without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

The exemplary structure under the present invention, :as shown in thedrawings is comprised of basic components including a central core 20(see FIGURES 2, 3, and 5); a superstructure supported by the core 20,

the superstructure being generally designated by the reference numeral22; a parapet comprised of beams 24 (FIG. and forming a part of thesuperstructure 22; an externally scalloped cantilever deck 25 (FIG. 5)attached to the core 20- at each floor level; a plurality of stacks (sixin the illustrated example) of individual compartments or apartments 26arranged about the core, each such compartment being couched in ascallop of the cantilever deck 25, as shown; means (.generallydesignated by the reference numeral 28) supporting the compartments bysuspension from the superstructure on heavy rods 30, supported from theparapet beams 24 by the plate 32 (FIGURE 3a); and means generallydesignated by the reference numeral 34 (and specifically shown in FIGUREfor rotating the compartments as desired for changing their orientationrelative to one another and to the central core.

The preceding description is only of the very basic general parts.Obviously many details of bearings, support means, utility lineprovisions, etc., are of importance, but in order to avoid duplicationand undue length of this specification, such details will be describedin conjunction with the description of an example of how a structuresuch as is shown in the drawings is constructed, with accentuation ofdetails of methods or structures where such accentuation is deemednecessary in pointing out the essential features of the presentinvention. Thus, the supporting tower or core is the first element to beconstructed and is started below grade level on footings as at 21 and isbuilt by the so-called slip-form construction method, wherein concreteforms 36 (see FIGURE 11) are moved up with the tower as it is poured,making it one continuous, uninterrupted operation until the top isreached, and in this procedure, provision is made for doors 38 at eachfloor level (see FIGURE 3). Floor slabs are then poured at each level inthe core 20, and preferably these are poured by the drop-form method tobe described hereinafter, starting with the top core deck 40 which willbecome the floor of a pool 41, if desired, and proceeding downwardlywith intermediate floor decks 42.

The deck 40 is provided with a central circular opening, and as soon asthe said deck 40 has sufliciently set to sustain the necessary loading,the circular steel elevator shaft 44 is placed therethrough and boltedin place (by standard means, not shown) to extend through the saidopening, up through the pool 41, and to the top of the structure (seeFIGURE 3). For erection convenience, it may be seen that the elevatorshaft 44 serves as a convenient central support structural member andeventually houses an elevator45.

As may be best seen in FIGURE 5, provision is made in the decks 42 forthe inclusion of stairs 46 which may be constructed and finished as andwhen desired. It will also be noted (see FIGURES 2 and 3) that the grade(ground floor) level of core 20 is the entrance lobby for the entirebuilding, having doors 48 to give access to the main lobby (not shown)and that the method of support and suspension of the remainder of thebuilding provides extensive covered parking and walk areas under thebottom-most compartments or apartments to give extreme economy of use ofthe land.

After the positioning of the elevator shaft, the next step in thesequence of erection is the erection of the superstructure 22. This isstarted by the placing and securing the outwardly and upwardlyprojecting steel or precast concrete columns 50. The columns 50' aresecured at their bases by being bolted to previously placed anchorplates (not shown) which are embedded in the core 20. At the upperextremity of the columns 50 they are secured and tied to the previouslyerected elevator shaft 44 by means of radial roof deck trusses 52 (seeFIGURES 2, 3, and 12). The trusses 52 are tied together laterally bymeans of roof-bracing trusses 54, bolted or otherwise secured to eachother to provide a rigid structure capable .of supporting both verticaland lateral loading. It is to be noted that trusses 52 and 54 may eitherbe of metal or pre-cast concrete.

At the end of the inclined columns 50 there are provided extending means56 to serve as an anchor adjusting means for post-tensioning cables 58.Temporary turnbuckles 60 (FIG. 2) are used to adjust the tension ofcable 58 as and for reasons to be mentioned in the description of theerection of pool deck beams 62.

The pool deck beams 62 are preferably precast and are installed byconnection to base plates (not shown) on the related inclined column-s50*. At their outer extremities the beams 62 are temporarily supportedby the turnbuckle members 60 and are adjusted to proper elevation bysaid turnbuckles. The beams 62 are then secured to one another andbraced by lateral bracing beams 66 (preferably precast) which areinboard of the outer ends of the beams 62 as best seen in FIGURE 3. Thebracing beams 66 may be secured to the radial beams 62 by any desirablemeans, as for example by welding special weldments (not shown) which maybe cast in connecting beams as they are formed. The bracing beams 66 mayhave a flanged bottom as at 68 for support of precast bottom slabs whichform a part of the support of the pool deck surface to be laterdescribed.

After the erection of the frame structure formed by beams 62 and 66, thenext step in construction may be the erection of the preferablypartially precast parapet beams 24. The beams 24 comprise the mainsupport for apartment units and are necessarily of very heavyconstruction. Only a portion of each end of each beam is not precast andthis is done so that the bottom anchorage for post-tensioning cables 58may be placed in the gap in the beam (as best seen in FIGURE 3). Theparapet beams 24 serve to radially brace and tie together the ends ofthe radial pool deck beams and they are secured (by conventional means,not shown) in the positions best shown in FIGURES 2, 3, 5 and 12, theadjustment for leveling being made by turnbuckles 60 (FIG. 2) with theheavy cables 58 functioning as the final supporting and tensioningmeans.

It is noteworthy that, as part of the construction of the parapet beams24 there are holes precast therein at their centers, as will now bedescribed. Inspection of FIG- URES 1, 2 and 5 will show that alternateparapet beams 24 serve different functions since some serve to directlysupport stacks of apartment units and others do not. The alternate beams24 which support apartment units have large holes (in the order of 14inches) precast therein, as at 7 (l. Openings of this size are necessaryfor the purpose of providing space for passage of erection crane cables,sheaves, and hooks to permit a crane to reach through the openings tothe ground for subsequently hoisting and securing individual andseparately formed apartment units or compartments into place. Eachapartment unit 26 will weigh approximately 60,000 pounds and such a loadnecessitates the use of at least two round cables for hoisting. Twoholes are provided adjacent each opening 70 and these are foraccommodating support rods such as the rods 74 for carrying virtuallyall the apartment loads. Rods 74 may vary in diameter from 2 inch roundto 4 inch round, dependent on the number of stories involved. Theselection of sizes and the manner of support of rods 74 in the openings72 are well within the capability of one skilled in this art.

Alternate parapet beams 24 are provided with a single small opening,through which permanent support rod hangers are positioned, the openingand the hangers being designated by the reference numeral 76, and thesehangers serve the function of providing outer support for theintermediate floor decks 25.

Weldments, not shown, may be provided in the ends of and in the bottomsof each of the parapet beams 24 for securing said parapet beams to thebrackets at the outer extremities of the previously erected precastradial beams 62.

Next in the desirable sequence of erection is the installation ofprecast concrete bottom (compression ring) slabs. These slabs arepie-shaped and are secured around the perimeter of the structure in theplane of the radial beams 62 of FIGURE 3. One group is supported betweenthe parapet beams 24 and on the flanges 68 of lateral beams 66 and theother internal group is supported on the core 20 and on the flanges 68of the lateral beams 66. Reference numerals 80 and 82 have been appliedto the outer and inner groups of bottom slabs (in FIGURE 3) by arrows,to indicate their position. In practice the slabs 80 and 82 are somewhatsmaller than the opening which they are to fill and leave about a two tothree inch wide gap all around the slabs where they adjoin adjacentstructural members. After proper placement and securement, the voidsaround the perimeters of the slab may be dry-packed with concrete tocomplete the securement of the slabs and to insure their functionalaction as a complete compression ring around the core for the support ofquite substantial weights.

Next, the top portion of a deck 86 is formed and cast in place at thetop level of the core. If a pool is provided above the top core deck 40the deck 86 may be designated the pool deck. Part of this pour resultsin thickening of the core 20 at its top (as at 64) and in thickening ofthe parapet beams (as at 78). The top slab or deck 86 acts somewhat as atension ring which, together with the bottom slab, which acts as acompression ring, combines to act more or less as the completestructural support for the construction below, which will be laterdescribed.

The exterior projecting and scalloped-shaped intermediate floor decks 25are next erected. These are preferably poured in place and it is one ofthe advantages of the present invention that these decks (as well as theinner horizontal decks of the core 20) may be formed by a drop-formmethod which is best illustrated in FIGURES 12 and 13. In the drop-formmethod, pallets 88 are assembled on the ground and are installed andhung from hanger or supporting rods 76 which have been previouslydescribed as supported from alternate parapet beams 24. As shown inFIGURE 12, the pallets 88 are of quite heavy construction comprisingpallet framing joist members 90 which are supported on basic palletstructural members 92 and to which, in turn the palet decking 94 issecured. The pallets are formed in segments on the ground and are firsthoisted into position at the top-most level for pouring of the cementdecks. Each segment is supported by bolts 95 inserted through bolt holes06 in the hanger rods 76, and is also similarly secured to the outersurface of the core 20, as shown, at 98.

Each pallet section 88 is provided with openings adapted to be alignedwith openings 100 which are formed in each deck in the pouring thereof.Openings 100 are each of a size to support a lowering rod 102, the saidrod being of a length greater than the vertical distance between decks.The rod 102 is threaded, as shown, and has a threaded operating wheel104 thereon, as well as a bearing plate 106 against which wheel 104operates when turned in a direction to cause rod 102 to move downwardly.A pallet support bar 108 is adapted to be attached to the end of thelowering rod 102 to support the pallet during the lowering operation andto be held in position by a nut 110, as shown.

Prior to the pouring of each deck, shear plates such as the plate112'are attached to each hanger rod 76 by any suitable means. Reinforcedconcrete is then formed by pouring concrete onto the pallet supported asstated above, on the rods 76 and on the core 20. The lowering rods 102and their parts are not installed until after the pouring operation, itbeing necessary only that the openings 100 be formed in each segment.

After the poured reinforced concrete deck has sufficiently set to beable to sustain its own dead load weight without structural detriment,the suport pallet segments may be lowered to the next pour position. Toaccomplish this result a threaded rod 102 is inserted through each holeand the support bar 108 of each is caused to bear against the bottom ofthe pallet by adjusting the wheel 104 and bearing plate 106 to cause thepallet to be gripped between the plate 106 and the bar 108, and take itsweight off of bolts 95. The bolts 95 are then all removed. Each segment88 may then be lowered by turning wheels 104 in a direction to causethreaded rods 102 to move downwardly. With plates 106 bearing on top ofthe concrete the support bars 108 will move downwardly, carrying thepallet segment with them. When the pallet segment has been loweredsufficiently to be aligned with the next lower set of bolt holes 96,bolts 95 are installed, the rods 102 are removed, and the next lowerdeck is ready to be poured. This sequence is repeated until all thedecks are poured.

The above described pouring technique is advantageous in that gravitymay be utilized in moving the pallets between pouring operations andthis technique may 'be 'used in constructing buildings according to thepresent invention, for forming the internal core decks 40, 42 as well asfor forming the scalloped outer floor level slabs or decks 25.

The individual apartment units 26 are preferably formed on the groundand hoisted into their final position. Ground preparation for theseunits may be progressing while the floor slabs 25 are being poured, butthey cannot be actually raised to permanent position until after thepallets 88 have been removed. Preferably, only the basic structuralelements are formed on the ground and the units are finished afterassembled in final position, in order to minimize the weight to belifted in each case.

Briefly the apartment units 26 may be described as basically of circularconstruction mounted for rotation about a fixed axis and on a centralbase plate and bearing 114 (see FIGURES 3 and 4). Each unit is supportedcentrally on its bearing plate 114 and in addition receives contributorysupport along a substantial portion of its perimeter from wheel typeradial bearings 116 (see FIGURES 8 and 9) affixed to the surrounding andrigidly supported deck slabs 25 (see FIGURE 5). The utility supply lines119 and waste lines 120 are included in central cores 118 as shown inFIGURE 6, and these non-rotating lines extend through the base 'plates114 from the ground to the topmost of the vertically aligned apartments.Flexible hose and/or tubing is used inside the core to make connectionsto the rotating portion of the fixed plumbing and piping. The dottedline in FIGURE 6 indicates the extreme rotated position of the wasteline.

A typical apartment-construction is best seen in the bottom half of FIG.5 showing sections of three apartment units taken at different planes.The section to the left is taken through the base assembly, the one inthe center is taken on a medial plane through the apartment walls andthe one to the right on a plane above the ceiling. The base assembly(see FIGURES 4 and 5) comprises a central core 118 in the form of aheavy metal cylinder, a base comprising the deck 122 and radial ribs 124monolithically poured with the deck 122, the base being welded to thecentral core 118 by weldments (not shown). The apartment base assemblyalso includes the previously mentioned base or bearing plate 114, an oilimpregnated bearing assembly 126 and lower and upper stiifener rings 127and 128, respectively, the said stifiener rings being welded to the corecylinder 118 around its periphery. The base assembly also includes (FIG.7) a curved plate forming a continuous fascia 1279 which is used to formthe outer perimeter of the assembly. It should be noted that the outerperimeter of the base deck 122 is thickened and reinforced as at 7 130and that fascia 129 is embedded therein as shown in FIGURE 7.

The ceiling 132 of each apartment assembly is supported at its outerextremities by light weight columns 134 (FIG. 3) at approximately thirtydegree intervals, with spaces between floor and ceiling and the columns134 to be framed and enclosed by a curtain wall type construction 136,the details of which are not shown in detail but which is illustrated inFIGURE 1. A ceiling support ring (not shown) is welded to the outersurface of each apartment core 118 to support the inboard portion ofeach ceiling 132. The ceiling, as supported on the columns 134 and theceiling support ring is comprised of radial beams 138 which are spacedangularly about 30 degrees from one another and which may be of wood.Beams 138 are connected at their outer ends by a curved steel plate offascia 14-0 connected to a curved railing strip or stiffener 142 whichis notched into the beams ends as shown in FIGURE 7. The framing betweenthe radial beams 138 is provided by 2 X 4 joists and the finish 146 ofthe ceiling is attached thereto in any desired standard technique.

The space between the ceiling of one apartment and the base deckassembly of the next higher apartment is covered by a curved steelfascia plate 148 for the extent of the apartment which is outward of thescalloped decks 25.

Apartment units, as described, are preferably assembled on the ground.Each such unit is then hoisted in place, the stacks of apartments beingconstructed from the top down, of course. For this purpose an apartmentis positioned on the ground beneath its final assembly position. Cranecables and the crane hook are inserted through the large openings 70 inparapet beams 24. It is also to be noted that each support plate 32 (seeFIG- URES 3 and 3a) has an opening 33 as large as opening 70 (about 14inches) therein and is supported externally of the opening 70 by therods 74 previously described. Three support rods 39 hang from the plate32 to support the uppermost apartment.

As each apartment is hoisted into place, couplings are made, as byspecial coupling rings 148 (FIG. 3) designed to form a connection at.least as strong as bars 30, and the washers 150 are used to fixrelative positions of the parts, as shown in FIGURE 4. It should benoted that the plate 114 has a 14 inch opening 33a equivalent to that ofthe opening 70 in parapet beam 24 and of the opening 33 in theconversion plate 32, whereby the crane parts may extend through all ofthese coaxial openings to lift successive apartments in place. It shouldalso be noted that the cores 118 are of a size to allow disposition ofutility lines 119 and 120 outside of the opening 33a and the support rodconnections (see FIGURE 6).

Attention is now directed to FIGURES '8 and 9, illustrating the detailsof radial bearing means 116 used to furnish support at the periphery ofapartment units in a manner to permit their rotation, FIGURE 8 showingthe relationship, space-wise, between the rotatable deck 122 cf theapartment unit and the fixed deck between apartment units. A substantialgap, in the order of four or five inches may be allowed between thefixed and movable decks to eliminate the need for extreme accuracy inpouring and forming the component parts and to minimize bumping whilelifting apartments into place. Adjustment provisions are made in eachhearing, as well as in a gap cover 152, to accommodate suchinaccuracies. Thus, after the apartment unit is hoisted into positionand secured, the radial bearing assemblies 116 are dropped into positionand secured in place, and a segmental gap cover 152 is secured over thegap between the fixed and movable decks, the segments being secured tothe movable deck 122, as by attachment to a plate 154 as shown in FIGURE8. The gap cover is installed and properly aligned to ride on rubbertreaded wheels 1556 in each of the radial bearing assemblies 116.

Each radial bearing assembly comprises a rubber treaded wheel 156, ashaft 157 mounting the wheel 156 for rotation. The shaft 157 is rigidlyattached and welded to a vertical-1y adjustable wheel mount 158. TheWheel mount 158 is tapped and threaded for a cap screw 160 for verticaladjustment of the mount 158. The wheel 157 is mounted on a bronzebushing 161 spaced from the mount 158 by a washer 162 for free turningof the wheel 156, the latter being held on the shaft 157 by a washer anda pin as shown in FIGURE 8. A mounting base 164 is attached to the fixeddeck 25, as by anchor bolt means 163 shown, and the verticallyadjustable wheel mounting 158 is held in position therein by means of atop bar 165, a guide cleat 166 and guide side bars. Thus, by adjustmentof tap screws 166 on the various radial bearings 116 the horizontalorientation of each apartment may be controlled, and for this purposeaccess openings may be provided in gap cover segments 152, as desired.

Attention is now directed to FIGURE 10 showing an example of a motormeans arrangement 34 for controlling rotation of an apartment. In theexample shown, a reversible electric motor shown schematically at 168 ismounted adjacent each apartment unit in an appropriate housing 169 onthe edge of the fixed deck 25', below the top surface thereof and in aposition generally on a radius connecting the center of the core 20* andthe geometric center of the apartment unit. The motor 168, drives thegear 170 through reduction gearing. A sprocket drive chain 172 is ledover idler gears 174- mounted in the housing 16 9, and to a connectionon deck 122 such as the end connection 176. Thus, rotation of the gear170 in either direction tends to move the chain in one direction oranother to cause rotation of the apartment unit. A

' special bearing 177 may be provided for beaming loads either upwardlyor downwardly. The above constitutes merely a simple example of rotatingmeans and it should be obvious that many variations thereof would bepossible within the spirit of this disclosure. In the example given itwould be desirable to permit 70 degrees of rotation in either directionfrom a medial position wherein the apartment door 137 would be over themotor housing 169. In the illustrated example, the door would alwaysopen onto the deck 25, inside the parapet beams 24 which are betweenapartment stacks if the 70 degree limitation is observed. Accordingly,the sprocket chain is centered on the central door position and is madeof a length so that the limit of its motion in either direction allowsonly 70 degrees or less of rotation. Preferably limit switches (notshown) are included in the arrangement.

Each apartment contains switch control means within itself for operatingits motor means 34 for controlling the own orientation so that theoccupants may shift the position of the apartment as they desire.

The above description is of the general structure and method ofconstruction of a building according to the present invention. It isdesirable that railings such as the railings 18 0' be provided on thedecks 25- between apartment units, as best seen in FIGURE 1. Similarlyglass windows 182, 183 may be provided above the pool deck level forlight and for observation purposes as well as a walkway 184 if suchfeatures are desired.

The specific internal layout or floor plan of the apartments may varyand can be simply constructed with standard materials and curtain wallsby known techniques. The utilities connection for each apartment extendthrough the core thereof (see FIGURE 6) and the connections for all ofthe apartments in a stack extend through and are connected in thecoaxial apartment cores 118' and extend from the bottom-most core, as at211 into the central core 20 and thence to the basement of thestructure. Preferably torsional bracing 201 is attached to the bottomsof 9 the lowest rods 30 (see FIGURE 3) to inhibit twisting of rods 30when apartments are rotated.

From the above it may be seen that the structures, methods andtechniques of the present invention provide improved building structureswherein stacks of individually rotatable apartments are supported fromabove from a cantilevered parapet type superstructure. The central corewhich supports the entire structure houses elevator and stair means aswell as providing means for utility and recreation facilities at eachlevel. The structure further provides exceedingly attractive andfunctional swimming pool and a sun-roof facilities.

Insofar as construction methods are concerned it is important to notethat the structure of the present invention permits use of the drop-formmethod described herein which permits the builder to work with gravityin dropping the forms from level to level rather than against gravity inraising the forms from level to level as in conventional practice. Instructures according to the present invention either or both the coredecks 40*, 42 and the scalloped cantilever decks 25- may be formed bythe drop-form method if desired.

Obviously many variations in detail of structures and procedures arepossible without departing from the spirit of the invention as describedherein. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention is notintended to be limited by specific examples illustrated and describedherein, but rather by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A building structure comprising a vertical central core member, arigid column member mounted centrally of said central core member; asuperstructure on the top of said core member partially supported fromsaid rigid column member by suspension means and partially supportedfrom said central core by cantilever means, said superstructureextending radially outwardly beyond the extent of said core member, aparapet formed at the perimeter of said superstructure, at least onestack of compartment units, each said stack comprising a plurality ofcompartment units positioned one above the other, and means suspendingsaid stack of said compartment units from said parapet.

2. A building structure comprising a vertical central core member, arigid column member mounted centrally of said central core member; asuperstructure on the top of said core member partially supported fromsaid rigid column member by suspension means and partially supportedfrom said central core by cantilever means, said superstructureextending radially outwardly beyond the extent of said core member, aparapet formed at the perimeter of said superstructure, a plurality ofself-contained compartment units, said compartment units being arrangedin a plurality of vertical stacks spaced angularly about said core, andmeans to suspend each of said stacks from said parapet.

3. A building structure comprising a vertical central core member, asuperstructure mounted on the top of said core member, saidsuperstructure extending radially outwardly beyond the extent of saidcore member, a parapet formed at the perimeter of said superstructure, aplurality of decks mounted on said core member externally thereof belowsaid superstructure and extending horizontally outwardly therefrom, saiddecks being spaced vertically from one another, the outer perimeter ofeach of said decks being of scalloped form, the scallops of the variousdecks being one above the other, a plurality of self-containedcompartment units, said compartment units being arranged in a pluralityof vertical stacks, with a compartment positioned with the lower levelthereof engaged in each of said scallops, and means suspending each ofsaid stacks from said parapet.

4. A building structure according to claim 3, wherein the number ofcompartments supported in each stack is such as to provide a suspendedvertical height less than the distance from said parapet to the ground,whereby to provide covered ground area below said compartments.

5. A building structure according to claim 3, wherein the engagement ofeach of said compartment units within its associated scallop of a deckis on bearing means which permit rotation of the compartment relative toits said associated scallop, and cooperating means mounted on the saidcompartment and deck for causing rotation thereof relative to oneanother.

6. A building structure according to claim 3, (further characterized inthat said central core member has an entry door at ground level and hasinternal horizontal floors coinciding in vertical level with that ofsaid decks, doors opening from each of said floor levels onto the deckat that level, and means internally of said core for providing accessfrom floor level to floor level.

7. A building structure comprising a vertical central core member, asuperstructure mounted on the top of said core member, saidsuperstructure extending radially outwardly beyond the extent of saidcore member, a parapet formed at the perimeter of said superstructure, aplurality of decks mounted on said core member externally thereof belowsaid superstructure and extending horizontally outwardly therefrom, saiddecks being spaced substantially equally vertically from one another,the outer perimeter of each of said decks being of scalloped form, thescallops of the various decks being one above the other, a plurality ofself-contained compartment units, said compartment units being arrangedin a plurality of vertical stacks, with a compartment positioned withthe lower level thereof engaged in each of said scallops, said parapetcomprising thickened reinforced angularly related beams connected to oneanother to form a polygon, alternate beams overlying said scallops andthe compartments engaged therein, said alternate beams each having alarge opening therein of a size to permit passage therethrough oferection crane acble, sheaves and hooks, whereby compartment units maybe raised to positions thereunder by crane means, a pair of smalleropenings on either side of said large openings, and support meanspositioned in said smaller openings for suspending a stack ofcompartment units therefrom.

8. A building structure according to claim 7, wherein each of saidcompartment units comprises a hollow central sleeve, annular floor andceiling constructions spaced one above the other and connected to saidsleeve at their inner ends, said floor and ceiling constructions beingsupported in spaced relationship from one another at their outer ends byposts attached therebetween.

9. A building construction according to claim 8, further characterizedin that said hollow central sleeve includes means cooperating with saidsupport means for suspending the compartment, said hollow central sleeveincluding space for accommodating the utility lines for the saidcompartment.

10. A building structure comprising a vertical central core member, asuperstructure mounted on the top of said core member, saidsuperstructure extending radially outwardly beyond the extent of saidcore member, a parapet formed at the perimeter of said superstructure, aplurality of decks mounted on said core member externally thereof belowsaid superstructure and extending horizontally outwardly therefrom, saiddecks being spaced substantially equally vertically from one another,the outer perimeter of each of said decks being of scalloped form, thescallops of the various decks being one above the other, a plurality ofself-contained compartment units, said compartment units being arrangedin a plurality of vertical stacks, with a compartment positioned withthe lower level thereof engaged in each of said scallops, said parapetcomprising thickened reinforced 'angu-larly related beams connected toone another to form a polygon, alternate beams overlying said scallopsand the compartments engaged therein, said alternate beams each having alarge opening therein of a size to permit passage therethrough oferection crane cable, sheaves and hooks, whereby compartment units maybe raised to positions thereunder by crane means, a pair of smalleropenings on either side of said large openings, and support meanspositioned in said smaller openings for suspending a stack ofcompartment units therefrom, the beams between said alternate beamshaving central openings therein, hanger rods extending through saidopenings and vertically downward-ly through said decks to space saiddecks from one another to serve as a strengthening brace and support forsaid decks and to serve as a support for holding forms for constructionof said decks.

11. A building structure comprising a vertical central core member, asuperstructure mounted on the top of said core member, saidsuperstructure extending radially outwardly beyond the extent of saidcore member, a plurality of decks mounted on said core member externallythereof below said superstructure and extending horizontally outwardlytherefrom, said decks being spaced substantially equally vertically fromone another, the outer perimeter of each of said decks being ofscalloped form, the scallops of the various decks being one above theother, a plurality of self-contained compartment units, said compartmentunits being arranged in a plurality of vertical stacks, with acompartment positioned with the lower level thereof engaged in each ofsaid scallops, and means supending each of said stacks from theoutwardly extending portion of said superstructure.

12. A method for constructing building structures comprising the stepsof forming a hollow vertical central core, attaching a superstructure tothe top of said core and extending said superstructure radiallyoutwardly of said core entirely about the periphery of the core,constructing a plurality of vertically spaced scallop-shaped decksexternally of the core member and attached thereto below saidsuperstructure and extending horizontal-1y outwardly from the coremember, forming self-contained compartment units, lifting saidcompartment units into positions nested within the scallops of saiddecks to form a .plurality of stacks of compartment units, andconnecting means to said superstructure and to said compartments tosuspend said compartments from said superstructure.

13. A method of constructing building structures comprising the steps offorming a hollow vertical central core, attaching a superstructure tothe top of said core and extending said superstructure radiallyoutwardly of said core entirely about the periphery thereof,constructing a plurality of cantilevered scalloped decks one below theother at spaced levels below said outwardly extending superstructure andsupporting said decks at their inner ends on said core and at theirouter ends between the scallops of the decks by attachment to angularlyspaced hanger rods attached to the outer framework of saidsuperstructure and to said decks, forming compartment units separatefrom the structure, lifting said compartments one at a time intoposition wherein they are in said scallops and in stacks one above theother under said superstructure, and installing means in saidsuperstructure and "attached to said compartments for suspending saidcompartments from said superstructure.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the said cantiliveredscalloped decks are formed by placing concrete forming pallets inhorizontal position below said superstructure by attaching said palletsto said central core and to said hanger rods, pouring concrete into saidpallets to 'form a cantilever deck extending outwardly from said core,allowing said concrete to harden, placing threaded lowering rods throughthe hardened deck, the lowering rods extending through the pallets andhaving support means at the lower portions thereof adapted to supportthe pallets, placing a threaded control wheel on each of said loweringrods, unfastening the pallets from their attachment to said hanger rodsand said central core, lowering said pallets by turning said controlwheels to cause the said lowering rods to be moved downwardly,continuing such lowering movement until the pallets reach the next lowerdesired level of a horizontal deck, fastening the pallets to the centralcore and to the hanger rods, removing the lowering rods and theassociated control wheels and support means, and repeating the pouring,hardening, and lowering of pallets procedure until the desired number ofhorizontal decks has been formed.

15. In a rotatable housing unit supported by a nonrotatable centralsupport means wherein a continuous unbroken utilities connection must bemaintained as the unit rotates, a utilities system which comprises amain utilities line extending parallel to said central support meansadjacent thereto and a flexible utilities connection connected at oneend to the main line at a point near said central support means on alevel with said unit and the other end extending into said unit, thelength of said connection between its point of connection to the mainline and its point of entry into the unit being sufiicient to permit itswinding and unwinding through the angle of rotation of the unit as itrotates.

16. In a rotatable housing structure comprising at least one unitrotatable about a central stationary support means, a utilities systemcomprising a non-rotatable main line extending centrally of said unitadjacent said central support means, and a flexible connection havingone end connected to said main line on a substantial level with saidunit and the other end extending into said unit, the length of saidconnection between its point of connection to the main line and itspoint of entry into theunit being such that it permits winding andunwinding of the connection around a point on the radius of said centralsupport means through the angle of rotation of the unit as it rotates.

17. The building structure of claim 11 including a utility system whichcomprises a main utilities line extending parallel to said central coremember adjacent thereto and a flexible utilities connection for each ofsaid compartment units connected at one end to said main line on a levelwith its respective compartment unit and the other end extending intoits respective compartment unit, the length of said connection betweenits point of connection to the main line and its point of entry into itsrespective compartmet unit being sufficient to permit its winding andunwinding through the angle of rotation of its respective compartmentunit as the unit rotates.

18. The building structure of claim 11 including means for adjusting theelevation of said superstructure.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,430,608 11/1947 Ginter 137234.6 2,563,531 8/1951 Kirkman et al. 5265 3,008,43511/1961 Dupuy 109-15 3,226,727 12/1965 Frey 52-73 X FOREIGN PATENTS74,311 11/1960 France.

966,887 3/1950 France.

857,443 12/ 1952 Germany.

566,120 12/ 1944 Great Britain.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

A. C. PERHAM, Assistant Examiner,

3. A BUILDING STRUCTURE COMPRISING A VERTICAL CENTRAL CORE MEMBER, ASUPERSTRUCTURE MOUNTED ON THE TOP OF SAID CORE MEMBER, SAIDSUPERSTRUCTURE EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY BEYOND THE EXTENT OF SAIDCORE MEMBER, A PARAPET FORMED AT THE PERIMETER OF SAID SUPERSTRUCTURE, APLURALITY OF DECKS MOUNTED ON SAID CORE MEMBER EXTERNALLY THEREOF BELOWSAID SUPERSTRUCTURE AND EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM, SAIDDECKS BEING SPACED VERTICALLY FROM ONE ANOTHER, THE OUTER PERIMETER OFEACH OF SAID DECKS BEING OF SCALLOPED FORM, THE SCALLOPS OF THE VARIOUSDECKS BEING ONE ABOVE THE OTHER, A PLURALITY OF SELF-CONTAINEDCOMPARTMENT UNITS, SAID COMPARTMENT UNITS BEING ARRANGED IN A PLURALITYOF VERTICAL STACKS, WITH A COMPARTMENT POSITIONED WITH THE LOWER LEVELTHEREOF ENGAGED IN EACH OF SAID SCALLOPS, AND SUSPENDING EACH OF SAIDSTACKS FROM SAID PARAPET.